Wherein Thor is Ill and Needs to be Amused
by ThePro-LifeCatholic
Summary: *Pre-Thor I fic* *NO SLASH* Thor is sick. Or, at least, he's recuperating. And he's bored out of his mind. Of course, in a time like this, who else for the god of Thunder to turn to for assistance than his little brother? But when it comes to "helping out", the two brothers have some very different ways of going about it...


**Hello, world of fanfiction!**

**Yea…I kind of needed a break from all the sadness and angst and whatnot…as touching as it all is…**

**Anyhoo, I got sick this past weekend; nothing terrible, just, you know…being sick sucks. Always.**

**This story idea sort of came to me. It came to me first as a little gift for my Thor-obsessed friend (she was also the main inspiration behind my **_**other**_** happy Thor fic: **_**Tattles and Curtains-Get the Connection?**_**). And then I thought,**

"**What the heck, I'll just post it on fanfiction, too!"**

**So here ya'll go: some brotherly fluff between Thor and Loki. Pre-**_**Thor I**_**. Completely spoiler-free. I don't have a set age for these guys; they can be little boys if you want them to, or grown up, the way they appear in the first **_**Thor**_**.**

**I honestly didn't try to make Thor too jerk-ish in this fic. In the beginning of the first **_**Thor**_**, the god of Thunder is a bit jerky. If he seems too jerk-ish, though, or if anything seems out of character, don't hesitate to let me know!**

**Yes, and for those who are interested, I am thinking about doing a sort of sequel (or prequel…whichever works) where Loki is sick and Thor tries to cheer up his little brother, in his own Thor way, that is. XD**

**God bless and have a great day (or night)!**

* * *

"BROTHER!"

Several random people (mostly servants) were scattered throughout the palace of Asgard, looking for Loki. Heck, even _Odin_ was beginning to think about hunting down his youngest "son" personally.

Why, one may ask?

The answer was all too obvious: to get Thor to stop screaming at the top of his lungs.

But why was Thor screaming at the top of his lungs?

The possible reasons are too many to list here and now, but in this particular circumstance, it was because Thor was sick.

Or, at least, he was getting over being sick.

Sometimes, it was hard to tell which was worse; Thor _while_ he was sick, or Thor as he was recuperating _after_ being sick. He had always been the louder of the two princes of Asgard; his times of sickness were no exception.

The said golden-haired god grumbled to himself as he thumped his head down onto his pillow. He frowned, wondering (as he did whenever he was bed-ridden) why his loved ones didn't come flocking to his room when he was ill, ready to take care of his every immediate need. Propping himself up on his pillows, Thor took in a deep breath, ready to bellow for his brother again. The word "Loki" ended in a strangled shout, and Thor nearly fell off his bed in surprise. For there, sitting in a chair right next to his bed, was Loki, god of Mischief, and Thor's younger brother. The black-haired god was reading a book.

"Loki!" Thor exclaimed joyfully. Loki's response was to flip a page over. He glanced up at his older brother and raised his eyebrows.

"What," Loki asked, his voice quiet and smooth (and only _slightly_ annoyed), "is all the ruckus about, brother? Why must you _insist_ that I come see you? Can't you see I'm trying to get in some quiet time?"

"But I'm boooooooooooooooooored, Loki," Thor moaned, acting more his usual self now that he had gotten over his initial shock. "No one else can amuse me like you do."

"No one at all?" Loki questioned. "Not one soul in _all_ of Asgard?"

"No one," Thor answered, shaking his head for further emphasis.

Loki scanned the page of his book. Thor watched him a moment, then began to sit up slowly. Carefully, stealthily, Thor reached for a pillow and took a firm hold of it in his hands. With a sudden war cry, Thor flung the pillow at his brother. Loki's expression was one of shock as the pillow sailed through the air…and went right through the said god's face. Thor frowned, and Loki grinned.

"Lokiiiiiiiii…" Thor whined, "no fair! Come in here immediately. I want you to help me feel better!"

There was silence. Thor continued to glare at the smirking illusion sitting by his bed. The sound of approaching footsteps caught the Thunder god's attention. The door (which usually seemed to squeak or bang whenever Thor opened it) slid open silently, and a black-haired, green-garbed figure stepped into the room, shutting the door noiselessly behind him.

"Here I am, brother!" the figure stretched out his arms, as if expecting an audience to begin applauding, "Loki, god of Mischief; in person!" The illusion disappeared, and Loki walked over to the bed. Thor watched the god approach suspiciously; at the last moment, the blond god jabbed his younger brother in the ribs.

"OW!" Loki jumped back. "Well, that's certainly a nice entrance…" he muttered.

"Serves you right, you trickster," Thor replied. "If you didn't keep pulling pranks on me, I wouldn't have to check and make sure you're really here."

"You _do_ know you have, like, super-human strength, right?" Loki rubbed his side. Thor waved his arm.

"You'll feel better soon, brother! That's _nothing_ compared to what I've done to you in past situations!"

"You're certainly right about _that_," Loki murmured. "What do you want of me, O great and selfish one?"

"You know what I want, brother; I want you to help me feel better!" Thor rearranged the pillows on his bed. Loki handed him the one on the floor.

"What do you do, brother, when _you_ wish to amuse yourself?" Thor questioned.

"I read a book," Loki responded without hesitating.

"Oh." Thor lay down, trying to decide whether or not he was bored enough to take such a desperate course of action. He decided he was. "Could you read to me, Loki?"

Loki walked over to the small bookshelf, which stood up against a wall, and ran his hand along the books.

"Can't you read a book yourself, Thor? Or did you not get that far in your studies?"

"I can read, Loki." Thor responded, a dangerous light coming into his eyes. "But my head hurts, so I can't read _right now_."

"So your head hurts enough so that you can't read, and yet you're able to almost split your skull with screaming?" Loki looked confused.

"Just read, brother." (Thor hated how Loki could make any of his actions/words/ideas/excuses seem dumb)

"Very well, Thor." Loki pulled a book off a shelf, sat down on the edge of Thor's huge bed, and opened the book to a random page. Clearing his throat, Loki began:

"Once upon a time, there was a god named Thor who was a big jerk. He disrupted the peace and harmony of Asgard, annoyed the heck out of everyone living in this palace, and, worst of all, forced his younger brother to slave away for him, in order to fulfill his every ridiculous whim.

"Then one day, Thor fell off the Bifrost, and all of Asgard moved into an age of joy and peace. The end!" Loki slammed the book shut…and was quickly shoved off of the bed. Thor's head, hands, and a pillow looked down at him. Loki tried to scramble out of the way, but it was too late.

*_WHUMP*_

Now, if it had been anyone else chucking a fluffy pillow at his face, Loki would have been able to recover from the blow quite quickly. But Thor (in case you can't remember) had, like, super-human strength. So while Loki sat in his 5-second daze, Thor took aim and began to rain down a hail of blows onto his most unfortunate brother (mostly his brother's head).

I mean, seriously, who wouldn't pass up such a horribly advantageous opportunity?

When Loki _finally _managed to recollect himself, he reached up, yanking his older brother off of his bed and onto the floor. The two grappled and rolled back and forth.

"Take…it…back…brother!" Thor gasped.

"I won't…never…" was Loki's response. At this moment, Loki was on top of Thor. The black-haired god wiggled his fingers and grinned manically down at Thor. The blond god's eyes widened as he tried to get away.

Alas for Thor; his brother now held the advantage.

Thor's frantic protests melted into full-blown laughter as Loki tickled him mercilessly.

"NO! LOKI, STOP!" Thor's voiced squeaked as he tried to talk between loud laughs.

"Admit it, brother; that story was an ingenious masterpiece!" Loki cried, still tickling his brother.

"NO, I WON'T!"

"Then I'll never stop!"

"DON'T MAKE ME GET MJOLNIR!"

The two continued this struggle for several more moments. Thor finally managed to get a hold of Loki's arms. Then, as easily as tossing a stuffed toy, Thor flung his brother against the wall.

* * *

The loud *_THUMP_* of Loki's body whacking against the wall of Thor's bedroom (the wall _without_ a bookshelf) caused many people in the palace to jump and glance around nervously.

_I hope the prince hasn't seriously injured anyone…or worse…_ was the prominent thought of most people. In the throne room, Odin turned towards his wife.

"Should I…?" he started. Frigga sighed and shrugged.

"Wait until someone starts screaming," she answered.

"Which one?"

"Either."

* * *

Back in the bedroom, Thor was calming down. As his heavy breathing steadied, a thought as quick as a bolt of lightning flashed into his mind.

_Did I hurt Loki?!_

Thor hurried to where his brother lay on the ground.

"Loki…LOKI!" Thor grabbed hold of Loki and began to shake him violently.

"THOR, STOP THAT PLEASE!"

Thor immediately dropped Loki back onto the ground, relief overwhelming him.

"I thought I'd hurt you, brother…or possibly worse." Loki sat up gingerly, dusting himself off and stretching his legs and arms.

"No, I'm fine. I've probably experienced worse," Loki replied, attempting a grin. It came out as more of a grimace.

"When have you experienced worse?"

"I can't recall a time at the moment."

There was a moment of awkward silence, finally broken by the god of Thunder.

"So…how does a story sound right about now?"

Loki gave a genuine grin.

"That sounds excellent. But first, a drink." The god of Mischief walked to the door, and motioned to a servant (who was conveniently standing in the hallway). The servant exited, and soon returned, bearing two mugs filled with steaming liquid. Thor, who had been dreaming of huge mugs of foamy mead, frowned as Loki pressed one of the warm cups into his hand.

"What is this?" Thor asked, sniffing the liquid. Loki rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

"Try it," he urged, taking a sip from his own cup. Thor started to chug, but stopped in mid-swig.

"BY THE BEARD OF MY FATHER, THAT IS HOT!" He cried, almost spilling his drink. Loki rolled his eyes…again.

"Of course it's hot, brother. Hot drinks are always better when you're sick. It's hot water mixed with honey and lemon."

"I don't like it," Thor said obstinately. He eyed Loki's mug. "What are you drinking?"

"It's warm cream, mixed with honey and a few other spices," Thor's younger brother handed him his cup. "Try it. I might suit your tastes better."

Thor took a drink (not a swig this time). He smiled, feeling the warm liquid run down his throat and warm up his whole body. His eyes sparked like lightning; a sign to show that the god of Thunder was greatly pleased.

"Now, _here_ is a drink worthy of a god!" he exclaimed, taking another careful sip. Loki looked down at the hot-water-and-honey-and-lemon drink that had once been Thor's. Thor knocked the cup from the young god's hand.

"I will not allow you to drink such a disgusting liquid, brother. Hey, anyone standing out there! ANOTHER!"

A maid rushed in (as if she had been standing in front of the door with a tray all ready), bearing two more steaming mugs. Thor examined each drink; he gave Loki the cream one. The other cup he smashed onto the floor. The maid and Loki both jumped, not wanting to get burnt by the hot contents.

"That is all," Loki said to the shaking girl. "You may go now." The maid quickly obliged.

"Now," said Thor, when the two brothers had gotten at least somewhat situated on the god of Thunder's bed, "Let's have a story, shall we? A _real one_, mind you, brother."

Loki nodded. "Of course, brother. Now, which one shall we read?"

"One with a battle!" Thor exclaimed without hesitating. Loki shook his head as he opened a book. "How about this one, O great Master?" Thor laughed and playfully poked Loki.

"I knew you'd make me feel better, brother. You always do." He smiled at his younger brother.

Loki smiled back.

Then, he opened the pages, and the two were sucked to a reality beyond their own.

A reality where they were fearless hero companions on a daily basis, and where sickness was unheard of.


End file.
